He had a Kindle Cloud Reader to sell and figured online would be the best way to do it. It wasn't. The "buyers" weren't interested in buying at all once they met face to face. They were interested in robbing him, which they did, by snatching the goods and dashing away.

Internet-based robbery schemes like this one are on the rise, say local law officials, which is why Fort Worth and Grand Prairie police departments are teaming with the Arlington Police Department in an effort to reverse the trend.

During a news conference Thursday hosted by the Grand Prairie Police Department, robbery unit detectives from the three law enforcement agencies discussed area statistics and case details while providing safety guidelines for people attempting to sell or buy items on Internet forums.

This year alone, each city has experienced a number of crimes associated with Internet transactions, from robbery to sexual assault. In Fort Worth, a man selling an iPhone 5 near Texas Christian University not only had his phone grabbed, but suffered injuries when the men who took the phone ran him over in the car they were driving.

"It's vital now that we work together and share information," said Sergeant Donald Fulbright of the Arlington Police Department, who said most of the popular items involve electronics. Most information sharing will be done through crime analysts from the three different departments that will work more closely together.